Shade-roller winding and holding device



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,379

I F. P. HARTLEY' SHADE ROLLER WINDING AND HOLDING DEVICE Filed May 19, 1924 Patented Jan. 5, 1926 UNITED STATES,

FRANK r. HARTLEY,

OF BANGOR, MAINE.

SHADE-ROLLER WINDING AND HOLDING DEVICE.

Application filed May 19,

To all whom it may co rwem: 1

Be it known that I, FRANK P. HARTLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bangor, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shade-Roller Winding and Holding Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improveinents in means forrotating. shade rollers to wind shades thereon and for holding them in any desired position. v

One object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive device of the type set forth in which a roller wind-- ing spring is wound by downward pulling of the shade, so that said spring may act to rotate the roller and raise the shade, when a brake, which normally holds the spring against action, is released.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a single casing for containing the spring and the brake, as well as a drum which encloses said spring and coacts with the brake in holding the shade roller in adjusted position.

A still furtherv aim is to provide a novel form of brake.

lVith the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the association of the invention with a window shade'and a portion of a window frame.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view as indicated by line 33 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the main portion of the casing.

In the drawing above briefly described, F designates a portion of one of the stiles of an ordinary frame, It has reference to a shade roller, and S designates a shade wound on said roller. One end of the roller may be supported in any desired manner, for rotation. The other end of the roller however, is associated with the invention.

The numeral 1 designates a casing body preferably of circular form and adapted to 1924. Seria1 No.714,486. I

be secured to the inner side of the stile F, for which purpose, it is preferably provided with a pair of attaching ears 2, through which screws or the like 3 may be passed. The body 1 is provided with a removable side wall 4 which is applied after the parts within the casing have been assembled and this wall is formed with a central opening 5. A stub-shaft 6 projects from the roller B into the casing 1, throu h the opening 5, said shaft being preferab y formed of a length of tubing with its inner end flattened as indicated at 7 to bring it to a more or less sharp edge, so that it may be readily driven into the end of the roller. Within the casing 1, the shaft 6 is provided with a drum 8, within which a spiral spring 9 is disposed, one end of said spring being connected with the drum as indicated at 10, while its other end is connected with the casing, preferably by passing it through a slot 11 in a rigid post 12, secured to the stationary sidewall of said casing. This post preferably projects into the tubular shaft 6 to provide an effective bearing for the latter. A spring-applied brake, within the casing 1, co-acts with the drum 8 in normally holding it against rotation under the influence of the spring 9. In the preferred form of construction, this brake is formed by an arcuate spring 13 between the drum and the peripheral wall of the casing, one end of said spring being secured to said peripheral wall, as indicated at 14, while adjacent its other end, the spring is inwardly bowed as disclosed at 15, providing a shoe which contacts with the drum 8. To the free end of the spring 13, a releasing cord 16 is secured, and this cord passes through an opening 17 in the peripheral wall of the casing and depends from the latter, within easy reach of a person wishing to adjust the shade S.

When the shade is pulled downwardly to any extent, it winds the spring 9, but action of this spring to rotate the drum 8, shaft 6 and roller R, is normally prevented by frictional engagement of the shoe 15 with said drum. By releasing the shoe, however, by means of the pull cord 16, the spring will come into play to rotate the roller R in shade-winding direction, thus raising the shade. Preferably, in operating the invention, the operator grasps the cord 16 in one hand and the lower end of the shade S in the other hand, so that when the brake is released, the shade will not be immediately wound entirely to the upper end of the window frame. \Nhen it has reached the desired adjustment, the cord 16 is released and the brake and drum come into play to prevent further winding movement of the roller. I

It will be seen that the device is extremely simple, compact, inexpensive and generally desirable, particular attention being directed to the fact that no pawl and ratchet mechanism is used, which is of great ad vantage, as'such mechanisms are apt to get out of order and they require a great deal of manipulation of the shade in order to raise the latter, which manipulation is, in time, very injurious to the texture of the fabric.

Excellent results are obtainable from the details disclosed and they are therefore preferably followed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claim:

1. A shade roller rotating and holding device comprising a hollow casing adapted for attachment to a window frame to remain stationary therewith, one side of said casing having an opening, a shaft extending through said opening into said casing and carrying a hollow drum within said cas ing, said shaft being adapted for connection to a shade roller so that it and said drum will rotate therewith, said drum being of smaller diameter than said casing providing an annular space between the two, a spring disposed entirely within said drum, one end of said spring being secured to said casing and its other end being secured to said drum, whereby to rotate the latter, said shaft and the shade roller in shade winding direction, an arcuate spring disposed in said annular space in said casing and secured at one end to the latter, said arcuate spring having a portion normally contacting with said drum to hold the latter and associated parts against rotation, and a releasing cord for said arcuate spring depending from the free end thereof through an opening in said casing.

2. A shade roller rotating and holding device comprising a flat casin adapted to be secured to a window frame, one side of said casing having an opening and the other side of said casing being provided with a rigid inwardly projecting post concentric with said opening, a tubular shaft exending'into the casing through said opening and surrounding said post rotatably, said shaft being adapted'for connection with a shade roller, spring means within the casing acting on said tubular shaft and reacting on the casing'to rotate the shade roller in shade=winding direction, brake means within the casing normally holding the spring means against action, and a releasing cord for'said brake means, pendant from the casing.

3. A shade roller rotating andv holding device comprising a flatcasing adapted to be secured to a window frame, one side of said casing having an opening and the other side of' said casing being provided with a rigid inwardly projecting post concentric with said opening, a tubular shaft extending into the casing through said opening and surrounding said post rotatably, said shaft being adapted for connection with a shade'roller, a drum carried by said tubular shaft'within the casing, a spring within said drum connected at one end to the latter and anchored atits other end to said post, said spring being adapted to rotate the shade roller in shade-winding direction, a brake between the drum and the casing wall,-said brake normally co-acting with said drum to hold the latter against movement under the influence of the spring, and a releasing cord for said brake depending therefrom.

4. A structure as specified in" claim 2; said tubular shaft having one of its ends flattened to impart a pointed formation thereto, permitting the shaft to be readily driven into the end of the shade roller.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed'my signature.

FRANK P. HARTLEY, 

